Came from usef.org, too. Saying that a members daughter needed an emergency operation and asked members to contribute to a GoFundMe for them. Several friends got it too.
Email scammers can fake the âfromâ email address, the same way telemarketers use other peopleâs/local numbers to trick you into answering.
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From the number of horse friends that got it also, it looks like they have gotten ahold of the USEF data base somewhereâŠ
OUtlook user? HIghlight the message, pick options and look at the gobbly gook there. Embedded there is the real sender address, the real senders IP address and every âhopâ that email made to get to you. THe FROM line you see in the original email can be faked.Sophisticated scammers can fake the senders IP as well, but the âenvelopeâ information is your starting point.
In gmail, you can see this information under (IIRC), âshow original messageâ.
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If a business entity doesnât perform good, tight security on their systems (servers and desktops/laptops), not that hard to get into Lookout (oh, I mean Outlook) and send emails to everyone in an address book.
Sometimes even if a desktop/laptop users tries to have good security on their own system, if the servers donât, not much can be done 
I got basically the same email, except it was supposed to be from AQHAâŠweird that they seem to be targeting equine organizations.
Because they figure not only are we filthy rich but soft-touches as well. Yikes, it seems there is no depth so low that it cannot be sunk to these days. @Chall - I did not know that stuff. Very interesting, thanks.
They? Who âtheyâ? I highly doubt this came from USEF/AQHA⊠the scammers will target anyone because some will pay. Distribution lists just make it easier to target a group of people. The scammers donât care if the audience is filthy right or dirt poor⊠some will pay and thatâs what they are looking for
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Yes, I know it did not come from any of these organizations. âTheyâ refers to the scammers and their pre-conceived (if they have any) notions of what/who horse owners are. Phishing for sure.
Actually, âtheyâ (the spammers, phishers, scammers, etc.) can simply buy databases full of email addresses, phone numbers, etc. from any number of data warehousing companies - legally. These companies buy peopleâs data from magazines, companies, not-for-profit organizations, retailers, social media, etc. A customer can even buy targeted data from these data warehouses - like using a keyword, like âhorseâ. Companies do this all the time, to market their products/services to people. but spammers/phishers have also figured out by targeting specific groups with very specific scams, they can also make more money.
Then there are the individuals and companies that come by the data in a less savory method - stealing it from other companies (Familiar with all the data breaches in recent years?). Spamming, phishing, etc. has become very sophisticated. No breaking into personal/individual email accounts is needed - though there are still old-fashioned Trojan horses that can infect your computer through a file emailed to you that you click on, that can copy your address book, and send out phony emails to everyone seemingly from your email address - but that is pretty old school.
Ever filled out a survey online? Completed one of those cute social media quizzes that tells you what city youâre best suited to live in or what your color is or whatever? Ever bought something online? How many âPrivacyâ Policies on all the websites you visit and interact with have you actually read? Youâd be surprised how much data on all of us is floating around out there in cyber space and stored by companies weâre unaware of! 
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Oh, yes - you have hit the nail on the head! I can always tell where something I get has come from by the address or name as I change mine all the time and use certain ones for certain things. I donât do those quiz things anymore and rarely sign up for other websites. Itâs scary what is floating around out there and whatâs worse is that there is probably more we donât know about. brrrr
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I have an alternate email address I have used for nearly 15 years. I use it for everything online. I never, ever get any spam in my regular AT&T email account. My alternate yahoo account is full of it! LOL
